Vivien Leigh, star of classic movies such as ‘Gone With the Wind’, ‘Waterloo Bridge’ and ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’, was born in Darjeeling, Bengal Presidency, on 5 November 1913. To celebrate the centenary of her birth, here are two photographs of ‘Scarlett O’Hara’, an advert for ‘Gone With the Wind’ and a review of her most famous film when it was first shown in the UK. Aberdeen Journal – Tuesday 17 September 1940 Image © D.C.Thomson & Co. Ltd. Image …
We were fascinated by this newspaper story from 1828 that reports on how Guy Fawkes night was celebrated in England that year. With the exception of the ringing of church bells, it seems that perhaps not much has changed since 1828. And it’s very interesting to see that this article also includes a mention of how the Stock Exchange celebrated the event – a refreshing angle that is sadly lacking in many of today’s newspaper reports of Bonfire Night. Manchester …
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We liked this wee news snippet about the Old Red Hall, near Bourne, which is where the Gunpowder Plot conspirators met to hatch their plan. And fascinating to see that the Old Red Hall was going to be demolished for the building of a new railway line, but that the railway company helpfully arranged to swerve past the house, leaving it untouched. http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000336/18931111/072/0007 The Leeds Times – Saturday 11 November 1893 Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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We’re very pleased to announce that the British Newspaper Archive has just crossed the 7 million page rubicon. The special page that brought up the magic number on the old BNA odometer is a page from ‘The Burnley Express’ of Saturday 30 June 1945 – and you can view page 7,000,000 for FREE. On this page, you can read all about Winston Churchill visiting Burnley – and you can view photos of the famous visit. You can also read some …
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On 4 November 1890, the Prince of Wales opened the world’s first electric underground railway at the King William Street Terminus in London. The line ran from King William Street to Stockwell and, after its inauguration on 4 November 1890, it opened to the public the following month. Here is a contemporary newspaper story that reports on the grand opening. Register today!
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Recently, several people have asked us when the newspaper library at Colindale will be closing and the print newspapers moving to Boston Spa. In June, the British Library confirmed that the Colindale site in North London will close on Friday 8 November 2013. As many of you will already know, the content on the BNA website comes from the British Library’s amazing newspaper collection at Colindale – which contains over 750 million pages from local, regional and national newspapers, as …
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Annie Oakley (aka Phoebe Ann Moses), the sharpshooter who found fame in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, died in North Star, Ohio, on 3 November 1926 – she was 66. Oakley was a champion rifle, wing, and trick shot. She received international fame. On one occasion, when Annie was in London, ‘five monarchs were present, and one of them, a man who was afterwards to rule as Wilhelm II of Germany, expressed a desire to have the ash removed from …
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Burton Stephen ‘Burt’ Lancaster, star of classic Hollywood movies such as ‘From Here to Eternity’ and ‘Elmer Gantry’, was born in Manhattan, New York, on 2 November 1913. To mark the centenary of his birth, here is a newspaper report from 1949 that offers a biographical snapshot of his life and career – and also a film poster of ‘From Here to Eternity’. Evening Telegraph – Saturday 10 December 1949 Image © D.C.Thomson & Co. Ltd. Image created courtesy of …